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Reverend Levi Howard Wright, Pastor & Founder
“How To Overcome With All Joy.... When Trouble Come....”
James 1:2-8 (New Century Version)
Faith and Wisdom
2 My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy,
3 because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience.
4 Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need.
5 But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous to everyone and will give you wisdom without criticizing you.
6 But when you ask God, you must believe and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like a wave in the sea, blown up and down by the wind.
7-8 Such doubters are thinking two different things at the same time, and they cannot decide about anything they do. They should not think they will receive anything from the Lord.
INTRODUCTION
“How Do You Overcome.... When Trouble Comes”...
How do you find strength to continue when you feel like you are carrying the weight of the world upon you shoulders? Our life from start to finish is filled with unexpected valleys of trouble. One of the most difficult things about life is that trouble, trials and tribulations will always come.
Trials and test of our faith are allowed by God to mature us Spiritually. WE DO NOT REJOICE IN THE TRIALS AND TROUBLE THEMSELVES, BUT IN THEIR POSSIBLE RESULTS.
Testing will Proving wheither we are Genuine or not.
Trials will serve as a Discipline to Purify our Faith.
Patience does not mean lying down and playing Dead in difficult circumstances.
Endurance is an Opportunity to Overcoming with ALL JOY.
Our life here on earth is a Training program for Eternity, and God allows us Opportunities to Grow or to Use our Faith to get the Victory.
Trouble is something that will come upon each of us.
Trouble will afflict the innocent and the guilty. It does not matter if you are white, black,... male,.... female,... old.... or young,.... educated.... or uneducated,.... rich,.... or poor,... religious...., or not religious,.... small.... or great,... sinner.... or saint you will have trouble.
Trouble does not discriminate..... it will rain on everyone’s life.
Our text today is a passage of scripture that I have heard quoted so many times.
The Apostle James said... “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations.”
My Brothers & Sisters.... I don’t know about you but I wonder what James had been smoking.
I wonder what was James thinking and talking about when he said.... “count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations.”
I don’t know about you.... Minister Green.... but I counted my troubles and problems as a nuisance.
I don’t know about you.... Evangelist Brown.... but I counted my trials and tribulations as an irritation.
I don’t know about you.... First Lady Wright.... but I counted my ache and pain as a frustration.
I don’t really need to tell you how bad temptation and trouble can get…… because we all go through trials and trouble sometimes.
When trouble comes……..
It will make a Success ..... feel like a Failure
It can make a Blessing..... feel like a Burden
It can make Joyful hearts.... feel like a Broken hearts
It will make a Mountains.... become Steeper
It will make a Valleys.... become Wider
It will make Pitfalls.... seem Deeper
Yes.... When trouble comes……
Trouble has a way of turning your Paradise.... into a Prison
Trouble can make a Firm Solid Foundation.... seem Weak as Quicksand
Trouble can make those that have Hope seem Hopeless
Trouble can cause the most Peaceful Person.... to become Perplexed
Trouble can shake your Faith when you still want too Fight and Press on.
In this text James is saying that Trouble can do all of these things and more..... but Count it all JOY.
Minister Green, Evangelist Brown and Evangelist Smalls sometimes as preachers we have to preach to ourselves ..... when we are going through trouble times and ..... Count It All Joy!
Brothers and Sisters we must admit that this is a strange concept.
But you see God has been teaching me how and why we must count it all joy.
Let’s take a look at the text and see how and why James wants us to count it all joy.... One of the greatest blessings of Christianity is its Power to unite us.... when we are in one accord ..... in one spirit.... and in one mind.
Once we are born again we are bound together with the bonds of grace and we are able to call ourselves brothers and sisters in the Lord Christ.
We are brothers and sisters in the Lord.... members of the same family of God... redeemed by the same blood of Jesus.... connected and united by the same Spirit.
Beginning with this word "brethren," James shows a true brotherly kindness with believers in the midst of their trials. James remembers... the trials of his brethren and he says “My Brethren.”
And as James did.... I also declare upon you..... My brothers and my sisters we have a higher calling and a duty to elevate and encourage ....our fellow brothers and sisters that are in trouble and in despair and overcome by trials and tribulations.... “To Count It All Joy”.
Yes..... James in his effort to encourage and lift us up says.... “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.”
We need to note that James does not say, if you fall,.... he does not say that you might fall,.... but WHEN you fall count it all joy..... when ye fall into divers temptations.” It is not a matter of if we will have trials in our lives.... it’s a matter of when they come.
First Lady Wright.... All of us are in one of three positions.... we are either coming out of a trial.... or in the midst of a trial.... or going into a trial.
This is why we need to be sympathetic and encouraging when others are facing their trials.
We have a responsibility to help bear one-another’s burdens. It may not be you today or right now..... but all it takes is time.
James says “when you fall.” ..... The word fall here means that trouble and problems will come up unexpectedly.... all of a sudden and catch you off guard.
They are unplanned and unpredictable..... and when we least expect them. Just when you think you are over the hump and about to see the light of day and get straightened out ..... “BAM” ..... another problem arises.
James says when you fall into divers temptations. Divers temptations mean many temptations or various temptations.
Some folks want a life with no hardships... no problems... no difficulties... no sorrows... no disappointments.... no frustrations... no burdens... no cares.... no suffering... no sickness .... and .... no troubles.... they just want to skate through life problem free.
I’m always amazed at the things God sends his faith servants through. You would think that if God is going to go out of his way to select a person or people to work for Him ..... He would safeguard them from all crises... trials.... and tribulations. It seems strange that He would call me and then send me into a battle to face trials and tribulations.
We need to know and accept the fact that there will be times and seasons in most of our lives when is seems like everything that can go wrong ....will go wrong.
We need to know how to handle ourselves when things go from bad to worse.
It is then that a person’s relationship with God is tested.
The question is how will you respond when that Molehill becomes a Mountain and when everything in your life either falls apart or seems to go wrong?
What do you do when the Shadow Ditch..... becomes a Deep Valley.
What do you do when the Shadow Stream..... becomes a Raging Sea.
What do you do when the Gentle Cub ..... becomes a Roaring Lion.
What do you do when the Harmless Lizard..... becomes a Fire Breathing Dagon.
What do you do when you’re Crossing Trouble Waters and the Bridge Break!
What do you do when the Troubles and Trials come......
You see, when we run into difficulties we either respond in joy to the Lord.... or react negatively and Lose our Cool.
Our response will be the indicator as to how we are doing spiritually. When we are going through Troubled Times.... “Weeping May Endue For A Night.... But Joy Comes In The Morning.”
What we need is a sure and refined way to conquer all the trials and temptations of life.
James is telling us here there is a way to conquer all of your trials.
The Greek word used for temptations or trials throughout James is pi-ras-mos. Which means to tempt, to try, to test, to prove.
The word means far more than to tempt.
Again it means to try, to test, to prove. So then the temptations and trials of life are to
prove us, they are to test us and they serve a beneficial purpose.
What is the purpose of trouble?
When we endure trials and temptations ...... It will make us stronger.
When we endure trials and temptations.... we become a much purer and righteous person.
When we endure trials and temptations.... we become a much stronger Christian.
When we endure trials and temptations we become more steadfast.
When we endure trials and temptations.... we become a better witness for the Lord in the world.
When we endure trials and temptations.... we demonstrate the living presence and power of Christ in us.
When Trouble comes it is for our benefit.....
Our Troubles are to help us be more like Christ.
Our primary goal in life is to be more like Christ.
If God is going to make us like Jesus, He have to allow us to go through some things like Jesus went through.
God never intended for us to stop growing spiritually therefore......
God’s purpose for us is that we grow and become more like the Lord Jesus Christ in our daily lives.
We are to reflect more of Him and less of us.
Sometimes we become complacent in our Christian growth.....
We feel that we have reached a place of perfection and no longer have a need to grow or go any deeper in our walk with God. When this happens, God will allow adversity to come into our lives to move us forward in our walk with Him and cause us to grow.
How we respond to our trials will either makes us or break us.
Why is it that when we as Church folk encounter troubles, trials or adversity we want to quit and give up?
Some people quit church, quit serving God, quit reading their bible and quit praying because of troubles. There are even some who become so bitter and angry with God because of their troubles as though God has done them an injustice. Many have expressed that God had been unfair to them.
Verse 3 & 4 in our text says “knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
Brothers & Sisters..... isn’t it good to know that the troubles that you are facing and the problems that you are encountering have a purpose.
First Lady Wright..... Knowing that we are going through what we are going through for a reason.
Knowing that we can make it..... And Count It All Joy!
Knowing that it is only a test..... When we go through troubles and trials.... God is doing something in our life to refine our walk with Him.
Brothers & Sisters... We need to know that Troubles and Trials Will Purify Our Faith.....
It is our faith which is being tried..... Satan is annoyed by your faith.
He rages at your faith. He wants to attack your faith.
Satan is not really after you.... he is after your faith in God.
Your faith is tried and tested by the many trials and temptations you go through. Your faith is what allows us to go on.
When you have faith in God it means.... you will trust him in the shadows as well as the sunshine.
It means you will rely on Him in the good times as well as the bad times.
It means you will believe in Him when the going gets tough as well as when the tough gets going cnot easy.
Satan does not want you to have faith in God because he knows that Your Faith Can………
See the Sunshine in spite of the.... Rain
See the Blessings in spite of the.... Burdens
See the Reward in spite of the.... Trials and Tribulations
When there is no Way Faith will find a.... Way
When there is no Hope Faith will find ....Hope
When there is no Joy Faith will bring.... Joy
When there is no Peace Faith will bring.... Peace
When there is no strength Faith will provide..... Strength
Troubles and Problems Will Produce Perseverance In Our Lives....
James says....."...the trying of your faith worketh patience."
Another way of saying this is, "The testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
Perseverance is.... staying power And .... endurance is..... the ability to keep on keeping on ...... the ability to hang on in there.
In the Greek it literally means "the ability to stay under pressure." The idea is to stay put until the purpose is accomplished.
Hebrews 12:2 says, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
We don’t like pressure and we do everything we can to avoid it.
We run from it,... hide from it,.... we do anything to get away from pressure. But God uses problems in our lives to teach us how to handle pressure and how to never give up.
Listen I know it may look dark now but we’ve got to hold on.....
That bottle is not the answer you’ve got to hold on.
Those drugs are not the answer you got to hold on.
That other woman and that other man is not the answer you’ve got to hold on.
Somebody in here can testify.... with me that when you felt like you were at your breaking point....... God just stepped in right on time. You’ve got to have some patience and perseverance.
Somebody said “I can beat the devil running.” You don’t have to beat him running.
You can stand still and the devil will flee from you. You just have to learn how to wait on the Lord.
When you come out victorious in one trial it..... gives you a little more patience and perseverance.
When you trust God in another trial and come out victorious .... it gives you a little more perseverance.
When your faith is tested and you come out victorious don’t you feel a little stronger?.... That’s because you are getting stronger.
When others stumble you will stand,.... when others let go you will hold on,... when others waver you will continue,... and as others stare in unbelief you will be still marching on.
I think the song writer said it best when he said.... We’ve come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord; Trusting in His Holy Word, He’s never failed me yet.
THEN HE SAID.... I can’t turn around... We’ve come this far by faith.
Troubles and Problems Will Make Us Mature.....
They make us like Jesus.... They help us mature.... They help us grow.
Verse 4 says, “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
See many of our problems are that we are not letting patience complete the work.
We must submit to the perfect will of God .
“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting
nothing.”
In other words it says...... “The testing of your faith produces perseverance that you maybe mature and complete, not lacking anything.” That’s God’s long range goal. His ultimate purpose is spiritual maturity. God wants you to grow up. He wants you to mature.
The word perfect here does not mean to become a perfect person.
It means perfection of purpose. It means you have perfected your purpose. God wants you to become stronger, more complete, eliminating weaknesses becoming more and more righteous.
Day by Day, trial by trial when you persevere and conquer trials you are becoming more complete lacking nothing.
God’s number one purpose in your life is to make you like Jesus Christ. God is much more interested in building character than in making us comfortable. If God is going to make us like Jesus, He’s going to take us through some things.
Conclusion..... Let me close by reassuring you about how to response to your Troubles....
We must face our trials and tribulations of life with the spirit of joy.
How can we be joyful when faced with problem after problem? The only way is to alter our thinking.
The bible says, “as a man thinketh so is he.” We have to turn our thoughts around.
In other words it says, “The testing of your faith produces perseverance that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” That’s God’s long range goal. His ultimate purpose is spiritual maturity. God wants you to grow up. He wants you to be mature.
The word perfect here does not mean to become a perfect person. It means perfection of purpose. It means you have perfected your purpose.
God wants you to ....
Know that patience is being worked in you.
Know that you are being made stronger and not weaker.
Know that you character is being developed and you are becoming more like Christ.
Know that these trials will make you more steadfast, persevering, and more enduring.
You must let patience work within you..... You must be steadfast.... you must persevere and endure.
When we look at trials and temptations as opportunities.... then we will begin to face them with all joy.
When we begin to persevere and conquer trouble..... then we will begin to walk through them in the joy of the Lord.
Count it all joy.... This tells me that we must learn to praise God in the midst of our pain and trouble.
One of the greatest antidotes for pain is praise.
When it looks like everything is going wrong just start praising the Lord.
When you are hurting just start praising the Lord.
When you are in trouble just start singing and praising the Lord in your heart.
I’m here to tell you that I know for a fact that in spite of all my adversities I still have joy
In spite of all my I hardships I still have joy
In spite of all lies..... backbiting..... gossip...... misunderstanding..... persecution..... pain suffering and abuse...... I still have joy.... unbelievable joy.... uncontrollable joy.... undeniable joy. Amen.... Amen...Amen....
